The news on Huey Lewis musical

Among the questions confronting Bobby—the likable bar-band hero of the Huey Lewis and the News-inspired jukebox musical, The Heart of Rock & Roll—is if it really is hip to be square? Is it better to be an exec with a cardboard box company than to be a big-time rocker? The answers might seem like no-brainers, but, then again, Bobby’s got some extenuating circumstances that comprise the storyline of this world-premiere show at the Old Globe Theatre.

The good-timey, decidedly non-anarchic hits of Mr. Lewis and the News are a comfortable fit for an aspiring Broadway musical. Not only are the tunes themselves—most of them chestnuts from the ’80s—bright and sing-able, but thanks to the show’s writers, Jonathan A. Abrams and Tyler Mitchell, they’re also easily integrated into the narrative. Besides “Hip to Be Square,” favorites such as “Workin’ for a Livin,” “Do You Believe in Love,” “If This Is it” and the title song function as if they were crafted for the stage.

But make no mistake: This is not American Idiot. The Heart of Rock & Roll is safe and satisfying, the kind of good time Huey Lewis and the News ensured in concerts and for viewers of their MTV-driven videos.

No one in the story itself is really heavy. Everyone’s got some wholesome good in them, even the superficial wannabe beau (Billy Harrigan Tighe) or the lovely Cassie Stone (Katie Rose Clarke), the cardboard box company CEO who Bobby (Matt Doyle) falls for. It’s inevitable that the “Power of Love” will win out. A superb comic turn by Orville Mendoza as eccentric business magnate Harrison Fjord adds considerably to the non-musical portions of the show.

All the stage bells and whistles are on display in this Globe production directed by Gordon Greenberg. The versatile set (designed by Derek McLane) shifts impressively from dive bar to product convention floor to Chicago’s Navy Pier and more. Lorin Latarro’s choreography is likewise inspired and, in one particularly memorable sequence, bubble wrap is used as a dance floor.

One’s affection for and familiarity with the songs of Huey Lewis and the News may ultimately determine enjoyment of The Heart of Rock & Roll. Then again, there’s a lot to like about a big, splashy show that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

The Heart of Rock & Roll runs through Oct. 21 at the Old Globe Theatre in Balboa Park. $49 and up. oldglobe.org

Opening:

All My Sons: Arthur Miller’s classic play about the relationships between fathers and sons, as well as the emotional tolls of war. Directed by James Darvas, it opens Sept. 21 at the OnStage Playhouse in Chula Vista. onstageplayhouse.org

Hundred Days: Husband and wife team Shaun and Abigail Bengson’s new musical about a 100-day relationship and how one should make every moment count. Written with playwright Sarah Gancher, it opens Sept. 22 at the La Jolla Playhouse. lajollaplayhouse.org

Home Front: A staged reading of Warren Leight’s play about a Black soldier who has a love affair with a white woman just before the end of World War II. Leight will be in attendance for a post-performance Q&A. It happens Sept. 24 at the North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach. northcoastrep.org

Now Playing:

Crimes of the Heart: Beth Henley’s Pulitzer-winning play about three troubled sisters who gather in smalltown Mississippi as their father is about to pass away. Directed by O.P. Hadlock, it runs through Sept. 23 at Lamplighter’s Community Theatre in La Mesa. lamplighterslamesa.com

Chicago: Bob Fosse’s iconic musical about a nightclub singer who murders her husband and the lawyer who turns her trial into a media circus. Presented by Moonlight Stage Productions, it runs through Sept. 29 at the Moonlight Amphitheatre in Vista. moonlightstage.com

Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again.: Alice Birch’s vignettes of political satire tells the stories of modern women in the 21st century and deals in themes of feminism and intersectionality. Preseneted by Innermission Productions, it runs through Sept. 29 at the Diversionary Theatre in Hillcrest. innermissionproductions.org

Avenue Q: A musical comedy about a recent college grad who moves to New York City and is surrounded by foul-mouthed puppets. It runs through Sept. 30 at the OB Playhouse in Ocean Beach. obtheatrecompany.com

Blithe Spirit: Noel Coward’s comedy deals with a writer having to deal with two wives when the first one returns from the after-life to haunt him. Directed by Rosina Reynolds, it runs through Sept. 30 at the North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach. northcoastrep.org

Fun Home: The musical adaptation of Alison Bechdel’s game-changing graphic novel about coming to terms with her father’s hidden sexuality as well as her own. Presented by San Diego Repertory Theatre, it runs through Sept. 30 at the Lyceum Theatre in the Gaslamp. sdrep.org

Communicating Doors: Alan Ayckbourn’s comic thriller about three women, each of them involved in a murder, who all have the same hotel suite in common. Presented by Scripps Ranch Theatre, it runs through Oct. 7 at the Legler Benbough Theatre at Alliant International University in Scripps Ranch.

Bull in a China Shop: The San Diego premier of Bryna Turner’s comical story of two important women (Mary Woolley and Jeannette Marks), who electrified the suffrage movement in the early 20th century. Direceted by Kim Strassburger, it runs through Oct. 14 at the Diversionary Theatre in Hillcrest. diversionary.org

The Heart of Rock & Roll: The world premiere musical—featuring the hits of Huey Lewis and the News—tells the story of Bobby, a blue-collar Chicagoan who reluctantly gives up his dreams of rock stardom to make it in corporate America. It runs through Oct. 21 at the Old Globe Theatre in Balboa Park. theoldglobe.org

Mamma Mia!: A young woman searches for her real father in the days leading up to her wedding, all set to the pop anthems of ABBA. It runs through Feb. 24 at the Welk Resorts Theatre in Escondido. welkresorts.com/san-diego/theatre